Collegiate Recreational Sports Participation as an Adjustment Aid for Former High School Athletes Experiencing Athlete Role Exit

Abstract

Successful transition to college is an important consideration in student retention and success. Students who highly identify as high school athletes may experience adjustment difficulty when entering college without this role. The current study investigates participation in collegiate recreation programs as part of a positive adjustment process after the transition out of high school athletics. Results indicated that those with high involvement in collegiate recreation programs had greater perceptions of loss related to the cessation of their athlete role, but also experienced greater perceptions of life satisfaction. Feelings of loss following sport role exit were found to interact with recreational sports involvement on the outcome variable of life satisfaction. Specifically, among those with high loss levels, high recreational sports involvement was associated with greater satisfaction. Results have implications regarding the support of collegiate recreation as a contributor to the successful transition to college, particularly for students experiencing difficulty related to an exit from the high school athlete role.